"I'm a little relieved, but more than anything I'm just pleased for the group," Muscat said.

"Because in the last three or four weeks, we've been up against it in terms of travel, and we've some big decisions in games that didn't go our way.

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"These things happen ... we had to work very, very hard for that performance tonight."

It leaves the deflated eighth-placed Jets winless in nine attempts and without a goal in 469 minutes and five matches – only one match fewer than the now-defunct New Zealand Knights' all-time record of six back in 2006.

"It is what it is, another loss," said Newcastle coach Scott Miller. "We're working hard every week, executing our game plan and not rewarding ourselves."

Victory opened the game with a flurry and forced Newcastle gloveman Mark Birighitti into a few quick saves, including a potential own goal from Jason Hoffman, who got stuck in a scramble to block Ben Kantarovski's goalward drive.

It was touch-and-go when Archie Thompson smacked the deflection back Birighitti's way, but it hit the upright.

With defenders Hoffman, Daniel Mullen and skipper Nigel Boogaard finally together again, the Jets weathered the early storm and worked their way back into possession.

They fashioned admirable opportunities and in moments Serbians Milos Trifunovic and Enver Alivodic linked well, but yet again lacked the polish to turn them into anything meaningful.

The closest they – or indeed either side – came to opening the book before Ben Khalfalla's goal, was in the 53rd minute, when Oliver Bozanic cracked a shot dead on target as Birighitti loitered vulnerably off his line. But Hoffman was in position for the vital block.

As the match wore on, yellow-carded Besart Berisha became a time bomb of mouthy agitation that didn't stop ticking, even when Kosta Barbarouses galloped downfield in transition and put the winner on a plate for Ben Khalfallah.

Ben Khalfallah himself had stealthily run out wide and back inside to isolate Birighitti, as Newcastle defenders called for cover that never came.

If there had been an equaliser, it looked like coming four minutes later from the head of Trifunovic, but the striker put Cameron Watson's cross into Vukovic's hands.